PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Inspirational speaker and author, Kim Phúc Phan Thị, made a stop in Portland Thursday night. Known as ‘The Napalm Girl,’ for appearing as a nine-year-old in the iconic photo taken in 1972 during the Vietnam War, she was in the Rose City discussing her memoir, “Fire Road.”
Despite the famous photo and then living through the scars of badly burned skin and several surgeries, she says she has reason to hope.
“Most people, they know my picture but maybe none of them know about my story,” Kim Phúc said. “This book, I wrote about the Napalm Girl’s journey through the horrors of war to faith, forgiveness, and peace.”
In the 51 years since that deadly bombing, she is now a wife, mother, and grandmother.
She is also a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador who hopes that through her story, others will see how hope can come out of tough times, including war.